Private Sector Joins BZU Preparations for First MSc in Software Engineering
Palestinian companies
were invited to meet with the Birzeit University Facultynbsp; of Information Technology on December 6, 2012
to discuss preparations for a new MSc program in software engineering funded by
TEMPUS, a project of the European Union. The goal of the meeting was to involve
the private sector in a needs assessment for developing the program which is
the first of its kind at any Palestinian university and aims at jointly developing
an MSc in Software Engineering curriculum that will be deployed by six
universities in partner countries to better equip IT professionals for a career
in the global softwarenbsp; development. It
is important to note here nbsp;that BZU is
the grant holder and coordinator of the project.
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Dean of the Information
Technology Faculty, Ali Jaber, welcomed the participating companies to the
meeting. nbsp;ldquo;This software engineering
program is considered a dramatic shift in teaching Information Technology in
Palestine,rdquo; Jaber told the group, ldquo;as the introduction of this program will
meet labor market requirements and the needs of academic institutions and local
and international companies for a qualified and competent workforce to join the
fields of computer and software engineering and information technology.rdquo; The
program emphasizes specialization, leadership and contributions to business
development that allows interaction and adaptation between the interrelated and
interconnected areas of computer engineering, computer science, and information
and communication technology.nbsp;
Project manager, Yousif
Hassouneh, introduced the three-year program. It ldquo;aims to improve the quality
of teaching [concerning] software engineering in Palestinian and Egyptian
universities, where three Palestinian universities including the Islamic
University in Gaza, Al-Quds University and Birzeit University--the initiating nbsp;university of the project in Palestine--will
participate,rdquo; he said.
Four European
universities in Italy, Germany, Britain and Greece will work hand-in-hand with these
Palestinian universities and three universities in Egypt to build the software
engineering MSc program so that it meets local market needs and international
standards for software engineering.
Project coordinator, Iyad
Tomar, spoke about the work mechanism for the program. ldquo;In the beginning,rdquo; he
explained, ldquo;we will examine the market and [conduct a] needs assessment to develop
the content of 12 courses for the Master in Software Engineering program and
prepare the teaching and research staff to teach its courses by organizing
short educational visits to European universities.rdquo;
ldquo;A
general framework will be created to manage the relationship between the MSc in
software engineering program and the industry,rdquo; Tomar said, ldquo;in order to ensure
a complementary relationship that contributes to developing and upgrading the
Palestinian software industry by meeting its scientific and daily needs.rdquo;
The TEMPUS program is a
European Community program that supports the modernization of higher education
and creates an area of co-operation in countries surrounding the European Union.
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